Vice presidential candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo yesterday urged her rival Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to do a Kim Wong and return some $5 billion that his family allegedly took during the reign of his father President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Kim Wong is the junket operator who has returned a portion of $81 million allegedly stolen from a Bangladesh bank.
“Buti pa si Kim Wong, ibinalik ang pera na hindi kanya. Eto naman, nasa kanila ang pera pero ayaw pa ring ibalik,” said Robredo.
“At ngayon, nangangarap pang manilbihan bilang pangalawang pangulo,” she added.
Kim Wong, based on the investigation of the Senate that probed the cyber heist, was among the main recipients of the $81 million.
Robredo has been very vocal about Marcos’ refusal to even acknowledge the sins of his family during Martial Law, which include alleged plunder and massive killing and disappearances of critics.
During the vice presidential debate last week, Marcos refused to apologize for his family and even declared that he could not return something that he does not have when asked to return their alleged loot.
Robredo said that this is where the danger of Marcos vice presidency enters into, saying it is too dangerous to entrust to him the second highest post of the land when the issue of plunder and human rights violations have not been settled and not even acknowledged by Marcos.
The Liberal Party vice presidential candidate refuted the claim of Marcos that it is the government which has been blocking the release of the funds intended to compensate the Martial Law victims.
“He is the representative of the family in filing cases against the government. Records would show that the Marcoses were the ones blocking the release of the money even if the US and Singapore courts have already come up with a decision,” said Robredo.
Meanwhile, Robredo finally barged into the No. 1 spot in the vice presidential race three weeks before the May 9 elections.
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But Robredo said there is no time to be complacent because of her three percent lead from Marcos.
“Masaya tayo dahil sa unang pagkakataon ay nag-No. 1 tayo. Pero hindi tayo dapat magkumpiyansa. Dapat ituluy-tuloy pa rin natin ang pagsisipag at pag-iikot ngayong wala nang isang buwan at halalan na,” said Robredo.
Robredo’s camp attributed the rise to top to the result of the vice presidential debate where Robredo was adjudged as the best debater.
While Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano’s prowess shone during the debate, the audience and analysts gave to Robredo the substance of every argument she would deliver.
Also boosting Robredo was her famous “To all of us vice presidential candidates here, may the best woman win” closing statement.
